Under the Influence
Influencer Marketing – The Who, The What, The Why
Influencers – by now I’m sure you’ve heard of them, but if you haven’t paid attention to who and what is an influencer, you’ve got a bit of catching up to do.
Influencers are people who have an established social profile on at least one of the many social networks out there – Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat and other emerging social channels.
They’ve invested time in building an online presence, which has essentially extended into their own brand. They have fostered their own community in a way their audience has complete trust and commitment in everything they do, say and promote.
With more than half the world’s population (yep, that’s 3.96 billion people!) now on social media, influencer marketing has become one of the most popular and trusted marketing strategies in the digital age.
Generation Z (aged 16 to 26) make up 40% of consumers and are the most digital generation to date. According to Forbes, adults are now mimicking their children and Gen Z to seek out inspiration and develop creative content.
No matter your brand or product, there is likely to have a social media influencer with an audience which is right for you.
Influencer marketing is about collaborating with an existing influencer to promote or endorse your brand or product to their thousands or millions of social followers.
This isn’t a completely new concept. Using a public figure to endorse a brand – actors and supermodels endorsing perfumes, sports stars endorsing sports attire, Madonna and Michael Jackson both doing TV commercials for Pepsi.
Ok, I get it. But I can’t afford major celebrities!
The benefit of influencer marketing, is it doesn’t have to be expensive. A-List or mega-influencers certainly ask for more funding than they once did, but others are still affordable AND highly effective.
We live in a digital era, therefore digital mediums have much more impact than conventional advertising.
Influencers are often more trusted than celebrities as well. If the brand appears to be an extension of their natural personality, consumers feel more aligned with the product than they are likely to believe in above-the-line advertising, which is perceived to be a more commercial medium.
With more of us online, we are getting smarter at blocking brand advertising and we’re streaming more advertising free content. As we say to our clients again and again, brands are no longer made by what the brand says it is; but by what consumers say and share about the brand with each other.
The digital era has put content and consumer power at the centre of brand marketing.
Influencers are also replacing traditional public relations. With column inches reducing and journalists losing jobs in print, particularly since the pandemic, influencers are becoming more important than reviewers and opinion leaders you may have used before.
Understanding who your audience is and how they consume media, will be the key to knowing where you invest your marketing dollars and the best way to connect with and grow your consumer base.
How will it benefit my brand?
Influencer marketing allows you to reach the influencer’s large social following and benefit from their trusted and admired reputation. Despite what you might personally think about certain influencers, your consumer might have a very different opinion and respect for them.
While some will explore google reviews for hours before purchasing a product, others will look to their favourite influencer to learn what brands are hot or not.
The key is to know your consumer. This way you can analyse the metrics and demographics linked to the influencers you are considering for your brand. Do they fit? Do they align? Is this influencer right for the consumer trend you are trying to tap into?
If your brewery is opening a new venue, your winery is hosting an event, your distillery is launching a new flavoured vodka or you generally just want to increase your social following and brand awareness then influencers are a great tool.
They can create content for your social channels, generate brand and product awareness, as well as increase sales or event participation.
With some of the influencers we have worked with, we have seen an instant reaction from audiences in many different ways. Some generate more social followers, others drive direct sales, others build your website traffic. There are multiple ways to measure success.
Alright, you’re selling me. Now tell me what influencers should I work with?
There are all types of influencers and it’s not as simple as choosing the one with the biggest following (sorry!).
There are benefits and disadvantages working with each influencer tier and it’s your (or our!) job to decide who will best suit your campaign objectives.
So, let’s break it down.
Mega Influencers
This is the highest tier influencer your brand can connect with. With over 1 million followers, mega influencers provide significantly greater reach and exposure.
Often mega influencers have made their name and created their own brand to the level they are a household name. Mega influencers include actors, presenters, musicians, artists and other highly regarded opinion leaders in various industries.
However, before you go ahead and decide on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, mega influencers can be incredibly pricey. In July 2020, it was reported that “The Rock” received $986,000 per promoted post.
Due to their mass following, diverse interests can also cause mega influencers to have less influence.
And with so many watching their every move, if something goes wrong, the possibility of negative exposure is much, much greater. You’ve heard of Fyre Festival right?!
Our recommendation is to work with mega influencers if (a) you have a massive budget, (b) have lots of time to plan and (c) are purely wanting to grow brand awareness for products that appeal to a majority of the population.
Aussie grown and loved Lauren Curtis, Hamish Blake or Celeste Barber are examples of mega influencers which could be within reach. Or you could go really mega with Beyonce, Cristano Ronaldo and Gordon Ramsey.
Macro Influencers
Having grown their 500,000 to 1 million followers organically, macro influencers have nurtured and built strong connections with their audience. This includes people like Andy Csinger, Curtis Stone and The Inspired Unemployed.
This means your brand will reach a targeted audience that will respond well to relevant collaborations. However, non-relevant content may fall really flat.
As they are generally much cheaper than mega influencers, they can be a good option if you want exposure with a tighter budget.
Mid-tier Influencers
Anyone with less than 500,000 but more than 50,000 followers fall into the mid-tier category, such as Emelia Jackson, Tommy Little and Sophie Cachia.
They offer greater reach than micro or nano influencers and are less expensive than larger influencers.
They generally have a good track record of successful collaborations and are readily available. But this does sometimes mean they will work with multiple brands at once, including your competitor. You will have to time it and craft your message with this type of influencer carefully.
Micro Influencers
With a more modest following of between 10,000 to 50,000, micro influencers tend to specialise in certain content categories, such as fashion, fitness or cooking meaning their audience are to likely share common interests.
With a smaller following, people like Iona MacLean, Alex Drewniak and Shayne Tino have built close and trusted relationships with their followers, but offer less reach than larger influencers.
This type of influencer is perceived to be highly credible and authentic by their audience.
Often it is beneficial for a brand to work with multiple micro influencers at the same time to maximise results.
Nano Influencers
Finally, nano influencers. This tier has less than 10,000 followers making them incredibly relatable to a local audience. Yet you may need to be prepared they may not offer the same reach and exposure.
Although they do have high engagement rates. As influencers gain more followers, their engagement rates will often decrease as there is a larger audience to keep entertained. Therefore, nano influencers can be incredibly beneficial at bringing interest to your brand.
Examples include Jun Kim , Natasha Gardner and Timothy Hill.
Your strategy with a nano influencer could also be to engage them over the long term, potentially building your brands together.
The influencer space is constantly growing and developing. New social platforms continue to emerge and take the world by storm. This means fresh influencers gain popularity and brands change the way they work with them to suit the platform. It’s important to have your view on what’s working to keep up with the latest fads online.
An example of influencer marketing in play, as I was writing this article I was scrolling through the feed of Maxine Wylde (who is one of my favourites) and came across an image of her with a San’s Beast bag (a brand I’d never heard of before). After clicking through to San’s Beast Instagram page, then their website, one of their tote bags is now on my birthday wish list.
So despite working in the influencer sphere, not even I am exempt to the effects of influencer marketing. Trust me, it really does work.
– Lara, 3 June 2021